SOURCE: <<GO>> Blog
by: GOAdmin
05-20-2010 8:39AM
Now that you’ve accepted the challenge to get organized in
2010, and you’re finding that you like how it feels, let’s take one more
step: organizing your garden. It may sound a little strange at first,
but trust us—the tips below can bring a little more order into your
flower and vegetable gardens to help make your gardening a bit more
rewarding.
Keep a garden notebook
Use a notebook or binder
to keep a record of everything in your garden.
• Paste your empty
seed packets in it so you’ll always know what variety of tomato you're
growing.
• Put pictures of your garden in the binder and track the
changes from year to year.
• Use photos to document your bulb beds,
so you’ll know what's there when you’re ready to add more in the fall.
• Keep
tip sheets from nurseries, extension services, or garden centers, so
you can find them when you need them.
Keep tools close
Hang hooks on your shed or fence
for the tools you access most. You may even want to place a storage box
or bench near your garden so you can keep your tools close to your
work.
Create a tool caddy
Use a small sturdy container
as a mini gardening center you can tote with you—complete with a
portable trash bin, kneepads, and tools you frequently use.
Keep an idea file
Have you ever noticed that your
garden is never quite finished? There’s always an interesting new idea
to try. Plan for change by tracking what you’re doing now and keeping
ideas of what you might like to do later. Download articles from the
Internet, scan your seed packets, perennial description tags, and
favorite photos from gardening magazines and store them in a file on
your computer. Save anything you find that you would like to try in your
own garden in your idea file. You’ll be glad you did when it comes time
to do that next big garden project.
Give your gardens a focal point
Place an
ornamental tree, a large rock, a birdbath, or some other interesting
element in your flowerbed as a focal point. This will give your whole
yard a greater sense of order.
Involve your kids
Gardening is a rewarding way to
teach children the importance of growing and eating fresh food. Their
participation will also give them a sense of responsibility. Give them
regular assignments so they can feel like they’re contributing to the
family, and work with them as they do their chores. Take some time to
teach them the benefits of regular weeding and watering, and explain how
plants work (think about it: the next time their teacher starts talking
about photosynthesis, your kids will already be a step ahead). Later
when you’re enjoying that delicious food, be sure to compliment your
kids and thank them for their help. They’ll develop a sense of
accomplishment as they realize they helped grow most of their meal.
Protect Your Container Gardens
If you have
container gardens filled with soft fertile soil perfect for growing
hearty vegetables, you’ve probably noticed that neighborhood cats and
perhaps other animals like them too. Here are a couple of ideas to help
protect your container gardens:
• Break sticks and poke them into
your soil at five-inch intervals with the sharp end upward. This
generally discourages digging.
• Dump an entire can of ground black
pepper into each grow box. The tingle in their noses is usually enough
to convince them to find another place to do their thing. (Don’t use hot
pepper like crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper as it will get in
their eyes and cause severe damage.)
• Never use mothballs in your
garden. They may actually be detrimental to your health. Instead, add
citrus peels or coffee grounds to your garden. They’re perfectly safe
and cats don’t like the smell.
With so many different ways to garden, and so many organizing
options, we’ve barely scratched the surface of organized gardening.
Hopefully we’ve given you a starting point. Do you have any particular
ways that you keep your garden organized? We'd love to hear about them
in the comments.
Thanks, and happy organizing!